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Psych Central
  • Healing
  • Therapies
  • Types
  • Effects
  • Childhood trauma
  • Community trauma
  • Podcasts
  • Find a Therapist
  • What Is Trauma?

    The definition of trauma is ever-evolving as mental health professionals learn more. Here's what we know.

  • The Science Behind PTSD Symptoms: How Trauma Changes the Brain

    Trauma can rewire the nervous system — but the brain remains flexible.

  • What Are the Best Types of Therapy for Trauma?

    Many types of therapy can support mind and body healing after trauma.

  • How to Identify and Overcome Trauma Triggers

    Triggers transport you back in time to a traumatic event. Here's how to cope.

Healing

  • Can You Recover from Trauma? 5 Therapy Options

    Here are the best options for trauma-focused treatments.

  • Trauma Denial: How to Recognize It and Why It Matters

    Denying or minimizing a traumatic event is a natural and useful response to pain.

  • Living with Trauma: How to Cope with Flashbacks

    Vivid memories from trauma can be frightening, but there are ways to manage flashbacks.

  • 7 Tips to Manage Nightmares in PTSD

    Many people living with PTSD have vivid nightmares. We look at why that is.

  • Trauma-Informed Mindfulness: A Guide

    After trauma, mindfulness may not feel safe. Trauma-focused methods can help.

  • Trauma-Informed Yoga: A Guide

    Typical yoga classes can be triggering for some. Here's how a trauma-informed approach may help.

  • How to Help Someone with Trauma

    There are many ways you can support a loved one with trauma. Here's how.

  • 6 Ways to Help Someone with PTSD

    Loving relationships and social support can help people heal from PTSD.

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment

    An overview of the many treatment options available for PTSD.

  • What Is Post-Traumatic Growth?

    Though it might not feel like it at the time, trauma may lead to new growth.

Trauma therapies

  • Psychotherapy for PTSD: What Are the Best Options?

    Talk therapy is an effective treatment option for PTSD. Here's how it works.

  • 4 Somatic Therapy Exercises for Healing from Trauma

    Somatic exercises can help you relieve trauma-related symptoms at home.

  • What Is EMDR Therapy?

    EMDR helps your brain process traumatic memories through eye movements.

  • How Trauma-Focused CBT Can Help Children Heal

    TF-CBT was developed to help children and caregivers overcome trauma.

  • What Is Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)?

    ART is a new therapy that shows promise in treating trauma and other issues.

  • Find a Therapist: Mental Health Resources for Everyone

    Each person's needs are unique. Find the resources that work best for you.

Types of trauma

  • What Is Complex Trauma and How Does It Develop?

    Complex trauma can affect all areas of your life. We take a closer look.

  • What’s the Difference Between PTSD and Complex PTSD?

    Understanding PTSD and C-PTSD may help you get the right support.

  • What Is Relational Trauma? An Overview

    Relational trauma happens within a relationship. It's a difficult journey, but healing is possible.

  • What Is Attachment Trauma?

    Attachment trauma starts early, and its effects can last into adulthood.

  • Medical Trauma Exists, and It’s More Common Than You Might Think

    We don’t talk about it often, but medical trauma is real — and healing is possible.

Effects of trauma

  • What’s the Link Between Trauma and Dissociation?

    Dissociation is a natural mechanism your body uses to help you survive trauma.

  • Trauma and Depression: What to Know

    Trauma comes with many challenges. For some people, this includes dealing with depression.

  • Are ADHD and Trauma Connected?

    Learn about the relationship between ADHD and trauma, their similarities, and differences.

  • Can Trauma Cause Schizophrenia?

    Research suggests that trauma can be a factor in whether someone develops schizophrenia.

  • Complex Trauma: Dissociation, Fragmentation, and Self-Understanding

    Dr. Janina Fisher's 2017 book can help therapists understand and treat complex trauma.

  • The Fawn Response: How Trauma Can Lead to People-Pleasing

    Along with fight, flight, and freeze, fawn is a common trauma response.

Childhood trauma

  • Main Signs of Childhood Trauma in Children and Adults

    Trauma can impact your life in many ways. These are some of the possible effects and how they manifest.

  • Can You Get ‘Stuck’ at the Age You Experienced Trauma?

    With the right mental health support, it's possible to get "unstuck."

  • How Childhood Trauma May Affect Adult Relationships

    Childhood trauma may lay the groundwork for our adult relationships and how we bond with others.

  • How Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) May Lead to Trauma and PTSD

    Adverse experiences in childhood can greatly affect your physical and mental well-being.

  • Childhood Trauma and Codependency: Is There a Link?

    Codependent behavior could be a response to early traumatic experiences.

Trauma in your community

  • How Does Trauma Affect LGBTQIA+ Communities?

    With high rates of trauma in LGBTQIA+ communities, access to safe spaces is crucial.

  • PTSD in the Black Community

    Racism is its own form of trauma and can lead to PTSD, too.

  • How Racial Trauma Affects Your Adolescent

    Racism can take a toll on all of us. Its effects can be much greater on the developing brain of an adolescent.

Podcasts

  • Podcast: There’s More to Trauma than PTSD

    Learn about the differences between PTSD and other forms of trauma, how to identify it, and what can be done about it.

  • Inside Mental Health Podcast: Transforming Trauma Into Wholeness and…

    Join us as our guest shares specific tips on reducing the pain of trauma.

  • Podcast: The Trauma of Racism- An Open Dialogue

    Racism in America: Why does it still exist? Tune in for an in-depth discussion on race that leaves no stone unturned. Listen now or transcript included.

  • Inside Mental Health Podcast: Trauma's Impact on Police Officers

    Police officers are much more likely to die by suicide than they are to be killed in the line of duty. While society works hard to prevent law enforcement fatalities, mental health and suicide often remain overlooked. Constable James Jefferson, a 13-year law enforcement veteran, shares his story of being involved in a fatal shooting and how that experience led him to have untreated PTSD for years. Learn how he believes law enforcement could better protect him and his fellow officers.

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© 2023 Psych Central, a Healthline Media Company. All rights reserved. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Psych Central does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. See additional information.
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